Oscars 2015: Actors winless after multiple nominations

Wait, Julianne Moore hasn’t won an Oscar yet? The five-time Academy Award nominee is known for creating some of the most memorable characters in beloved, Oscar-nominated films including “Boogie Nights,” “The End of the Affair,” and “The Hours.” This year, she’s nominated for her role as Alice Howland, a linguistics professor who finds out she has Alzheimer’s disease at age 50 in “Still Alice.” Moore’s nomination is the film’s only nod, yet her incredible performance is the favorite for the win. But arguably, she should have been a winner since 2003, when she was nominated for two films: “The Hours” (as a supporting actress) and “Far From Heaven” (as a lead). As a 1950s housewife whose marriage is crumbling in the latter film, Moore was especially great; she lost Best Actress in a Leading Role to her “Hours” costar, Nicole Kidman. Could 2015 finally be Moore’s year? —Megan Daley

Amy Adams has been nominated five times in the past nine years—second only to her “Julie & Julia” co-star Meryl Streep—but she’s still empty-handed despite notable turns in “Junebug,” “Doubt,” “The Fighter,” “The Master,” and “American Hustle.” Her part in “The Master,” opposite fellow nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman, was arguably her most Oscar-worthy yet, but Anne Hathaway took home the Best Supporting Actress hardware for “Les Miserables.” Most recently, Adams received some Oscar buzz for her portrayal of Margaret Keane in “Big Eyes,” but failed to receive a nomination despite a win at the Golden Globes. —Taylor Weatherby

Arthur Kennedy might be best known for his performances on Broadway, where he starred in several Arthur Miller plays. But Kennedy was also a prolific screen actor. Though he won a Tony Award in 1949 for originating the role of Biff Loman in Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” Kennedy never managed to grab an Oscar despite five nominations. Four of them were for Supporting Actor, tying Kennedy with Claude Rains for the most-nominated man in that category without a win. Kennedy was also up for Best Actor in 1951 for “Bright Victory,” losing to Humphrey Bogart in a crowded field that also included Marlon Brando’s classic performance in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Kennedy died in 1990 at the age of 75. —Christian Holub

After snagging four acting nominations (and one Best Picture nod for “The Wolf of Wall Street”) without ever closing the deal, Leo has become the Internet’s poster boy for Oscar-snub frustration. Some of his best performances (“Titanic,” “The Departed,” “Django Unchained”) weren’t even recognized by the Academy, and he’s come up short with nominated roles in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “The Aviator,” “Blood Diamond,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.” DiCaprio seemed closest to winning in 2005 for “The Aviator,” a film that won five awards out of 11 Oscar nominations, but the acting prize went to Jamie Foxx for his work in “Ray.” —Keisha Hatchett

The Broadway star earned an Oscar nod for her second performance on screen in “Cimarron,” the 1931 Western that won Best Picture. She went on to nab four more Academy Award nominations for her work in “Theodora Goes Wild,” “The Awful Truth,” “Love Affair,” and “I Remember Mama.” Although she never snagged an Oscar, Dunne did receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at 1985’s Kennedy Center Honors. The actress died at age 91 in 1990. —Ariana Bacle

Kenneth Branagh is crazy talented. The actor, director, writer and basically everything-else-er has been nominated for five Oscars in multiple categories, including Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Live-Action Short. His adaptation of “Henry V” vied for Oscar gold in 1990—against tough competition including “Driving Miss Daisy,” “My Left Foot,” and “Glory.” The adaptation was nominated for three awards, two of which included Branagh’s name. While there was no way he could’ve taken Best Actor away from Daniel Day-Lewis and “My Left Foot,” Best Director was a bit more of a free-for-all—but the award ended up going to “Born on the Fourth of July” director Oliver Stone. Still, Branagh, props for being a multihyphenate; there’s still time to achieve the Oscar dream. —Megan Daley

Albert Finney earned his first Best Actor nomination for playing the title character in “Tom Jones” way back in 1964. Though the movie itself won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Tony Richardson, Finney and four co-stars went home empty-handed in the acting categories. Finney would go on to be nominated four more times for “Erin Brockovich,” “Under the Volcano,” “The Dresser,” and “Murder on the Orient Express.” At 78, he’s still kicking, which means there could be justice for Finney yet. —Megan Daley

Thelma Ritter, an actress whose career spanned just 21 years, received six Oscar nominations for roles in films such as “Birdman of Alcatraz,” “Pillow Talk,” and “Pickup on South Street”—coming a long way from her uncredited role in “Miracle on 34th Street.” Ritter was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for three consecutive years, beginning in 1951, but she never took home the top prize. Her first nomination may have been her best chance; “All About Eve” received 14 total nominations, a record equaled only by “Titanic.” But even though five of that movie’s stars received nods, only George Sanders ended up winning. After nabbing her fourth Best Supporting Actress nomination, Ritter reportedly voiced the frustration likely felt by everyone in this club: “Now I know what it feels like to be the bridesmaid and never the bride.” —Megan Daley

Deborah Kerr (foreground) was nominated for a total of six Oscars, all for leading roles. Her best chance for a win probably came in 1954, when she played unfaithful army wife Karen Holmes in “From Here to Eternity.” The film was nominated for 13 awards and took home eight, including Best Picture—and supporting actor prizes for Kerr’s costars, Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed. But its leading actors—Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, and Kerr—all lost that night, to William Holden (“Stalag 17”) and Audrey Hepburn (“Roman Holiday”), respectively. Kerr would continue to act in film until 1986, with her final role coming in a TV movie called “Hold the Dream.” She died in 2007. —Megan Daley

Glenn Close has had a pretty eclectic career—playing Disney villains, 18th-century French sexual schemers, and a “Guardians of the Galaxy” higher-up. Despite six Oscar nominations, she has yet to come away with a win. Most recently nominated for Best Actress for her cross-dressing turn in 2011’s “Albert Nobbs,” Close could’ve taken the gold with her portrayal of Alex Forrest, the unhinged lover-turned-stalker in “Fatal Attraction.” But 1988 turned out to be a great year for “Moonstruck,” the film that made Cher an Oscar winner. Forever pulling for you, Glenn. —Megan Daley

Ah, Richard Burton. The British actor was nominated for seven Oscars for roles in films as varied as “Equus,” “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” and “Becket.” He was nominated three years in a row for Best Actor from 1965 to 1967. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” was nominated for basically everything from Best Picture to Best Costume Design, and managed to take home five awards. His co-stars Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis were awarded Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively—but Burton, alas, got no love himself. He would go on to be nominated twice more before his death in 1984. —Megan Daley

Perennial Oscar bridesmaid Peter O’Toole was nominated for Best Actor a whopping eight times, for standout performances in films including “Lawrence of Arabia,” “The Lion in Winter,” and “Becket” (opposite Richard Burton). His closest shot at winning probably came with his first Oscar-nominated performance, as T.E. Lawrence in David Lean’s epic. The film was honored with a total of seven awards, including Best Picture—but O’Toole lost to Gregory Peck for his role in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” O’Toole received the Honorary Award in 2003 for his achievements in cinema, only to be nominated again for Best Actor for 2006’s “Venus”—which he lost to Forest Whitaker. He died in 2013, still without the competitive Oscar he so richly deserved. —Megan Daley